‘The mob claimed David used charm on colleague before lynching him’ — Lagos lounge opens up

Beer Barn, a leisure facility in Lagos, has recounted events that led to the killing of David Imoh, the sound engineer, by motorcyclists.

On May 12, Imoh was set ablaze by an irate mob near the facility in the Lekki axis of the state.

In a statement on Monday, Beer Barn said it had engaged the services of the sound engineer and a live band to entertain its patrons.

According to the statement, trouble started when the mob tried to force its way into its premises.

Beer Barn said when its officials engaged the group, the rankled motorcyclists alleged that someone within its facility had used a charm on its member and requested that he should be handed over to them.

It added that David, who was alleged to have used the charm, thereafter came out and was forcibly taken away.

“We requested to know what the issue was and members of the mob replied that somebody from our facility had used a charm to hit one of its members, who was presumed dead,” the statement read.

“While we were engaging the mob, David, who was alleged to have used the charm, came out of our facility and was forcibly taken away from our premises by the mob, which insisted he was a Yahoo boy (internet fraudster) trying to use the victim for a money ritual.”

Beer Barn said its internal security teamed up with three naval officers and operatives from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) unit of the police but could not bring the situation under control.

“Our internal security men couldn’t stop them in spite of their best efforts,” it added.

“Noticing that the military men were not making any headway in their efforts to bring the situation under control, we called the RRS because the number of angry motorcyclists was increasing.

“The RRS team arrived, but said the crowd was too big for them to control. At the time of their arrival, nobody had died. The victim of the altercation with the band boy had also regained consciousness.”

The leisure facility said it also called on the divisional police officer (DPO) of Maroko Police Station but claimed his team did not arrive before David was killed by the mob.

“Before his team could get to our facility, the mob had already burnt David and was on the verge of doing same to his colleague, Philip Balogun, when policemen arrived and dispersed the crowd by firing in the air,” it added.

“Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of the David Imoh. We unreservedly condemn the mob action that led to the unfortunate incident, as it indicated disrespect to life, and are in full support of the efforts to ensure that justice is done in the matter.”

The Association of Music Band Owners of Nigeria (AMBON) had earlier demanded justice for David.